A non-report from the third and final day of Microsoft’s BI conference

To criticise Microsoft is, of course, to attack not only an easy target but also a popular one. Many people hate the big M for the simple (and undeniable) reason that it is successful. This is a comfortable reason to hate a company because it guarantees an unending supply of hate figures; if/when the big M falls from grace another one will be along in a moment. But success is an irrational reason for criticism, of course, unlike stupidity which is a perfectly valid one.

The American Department of Justice (DOJ) threw a spotlight on the murky underworld of internet gambling payment processing this afternoon with the indictment in Utah of seven individuals and four companies – including BetUs.com and serial violator BetonSports.com - involved with processing payments for online gambling transactions, according to the Associated Press. The indictment seeks to recover $150 million from the defendants under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), in addition to hard assets such as real estate and property used in running the operations.

Another day and another Microsoft event designed to promote the importance and flexibility of OpenXML, this time using some of the company’s UK partners to make the point. And it is a fair point, if only because the company’s Office Suite is so well-entrenched in so many businesses and organisations. Getting it to interoperate with other applications is an obviously important step that has to be taken.